101 Profiles of Top Internet Business Concepts 93 30 Do-It-Yourself Site OVERVIEW OF BUSINESS MODEL This business is a fun online pursuit because you can utilize your own interests and knowledge for the benefit of others Enthusiasts all over the world use the Web to locate information and tips on how to tackle household projects by themselves Another advantage to this business is the wide variety of topics you may consult on—everything from how to install three-prong electric sockets to gardening tips Revenue can come from advertisers who are looking to target the do-it-yourselfers, such as Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Canadian Tire SKILLS NEEDED Obviously, being handy is a must for the operator of this business Competent writing skills, Web publishing know-how, and basic digital imaging will be necessary to run the Web site COST TO START THIS BUSINESS The start-up cost of this business is minimal A ballpark range is $2,000 to $5,000 You will need a Web site, hosting, and a solid business plan NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES NEEDED TO START To begin, only one employee is needed If the demand for more tips and areas of interest increases, then you may want to hire a part-time do-it-yourself assistant to help in updating the Web site and continuing to market the site online and to potential advertisers INTERNATIONAL POTENTIAL The international potential is immediate and is probably governed by household type and climate If the tips are translated into other major languages, your international potential increases There are online translators who charge by the word to assist you, should you decide to try it E-BUSINESS MODEL/PAYMENT PROCESSING METHOD To begin, the revenue will probably come from advertisers that want to target your niche market The budget-sensitive consumer is savvy on the Internet and knows how to find a deal Contacting the suppliers with the lowest prices overall is a good idea Stay away from the higher end E-business level is the most appropriate level for the do-it-yourself Web site For more information, see Part Part betas.pmd 93 11/21/2006, 12:10 PM 94 101 Internet Businesses You Can Start From Home IMPORTANT BUSINESS ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED An important thing to note in this business is that your site will have to balance the look and feel between professional and amateur because the browsers will want to feel as though you are doing the projects yourself Therefore, you have to remain sensitive to budget, the tools you use, and so on You must make sure not to alienate your target market, which will be looking to save money This market may include a large number of women ONLINE MARKETING TECHNIQUES • Organic search engine placement • Reciprocal linking with related do-it-yourself Web sites and other related-content Web sites • Get linked from online do-it-yourself directories • Provide articles for publishing in e-zines that focus on homemaking and hobbies • Develop an opt-in mail list to provide a regular newsletter filled with do-it-yourself tips For a more detailed description of these techniques, along with many other effective online marketing methods, I recommend the companion book 101 Ways to Promote Your Web Site You can also find tons of free resources at http://www.susansweeney.com/resources.html ADDITIONAL INCOME Additional income could possibly come from participation in affiliate programs of suppliers that sell products to the do-it-yourself market You can sell sponsorship and banner advertising opportunities on your mail list ONLINE EXAMPLES DoItYourself.com http://www.doityourself.com Obviously one of the major do-it-yourself sites on the Web However, it is only home repair, with no other do-it-yourself options offered Remodeling Online http://www.remodelonline.com Part betas.pmd 94 11/21/2006, 12:10 PM 101 Profiles of Top Internet Business Concepts 95 A similar but much more diverse site than DoItYourself.com They cover gardening as well as decorating and other things a homeowner may care about 31 E-Books OVERVIEW OF BUSINESS MODEL E-books are gaining popularity A popular example of a fiction e-book potential is Stephen King’s success in publishing his latest horror novel in e-reader format on the Amazon Web site The multitude of users attempting to download the book crashed the server! Obviously there is a demand E-books can be written on a multitude of subjects, from Internet marketing to how to get through the teenage years to building a sailboat—the subjects are endless SKILLS NEEDED You will need to be knowledgeable on your topic and be able to write well COST TO START THIS BUSINESS The cost to begin this business depends on which approach you take If you want to develop your own e-books and have them purchased and downloaded from your site, the cost will be negligible If you decide to become a reseller or an online marketing outlet for e-books, the cost is significantly lower to begin You will incur start-up costs related to design, development, and hosting of your Web site as well as expenses related to any storefront and payment-processing capability Expect a ballpark price of $3,000 to $5,000 to begin NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES NEEDED TO START This business can be started by one person who is organized and possesses an avid interest in reading and the supporting technology needed for e-books to be distributed Eventually you may want to get technical support if you decide to have the e-books downloaded and purchased directly from your site INTERNATIONAL POTENTIAL The international potential is immediate and depends heavily on online marketing strategy Depending on the language of the e-books you feature, the market is international from the onset E-BUSINESS MODEL/PAYMENT PROCESSING METHOD The e-business model suitable for this business during the first stage of development is level 1, but if you should decide to accept payment and allow download Part betas.pmd 95 11/21/2006, 12:10 PM 96 101 Internet Businesses You Can Start From Home of the e-books from your site, level is more appropriate For more information, refer to Part IMPORTANT BUSINESS ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED To operate an e-business that sells and markets e-books, you have two basic options: to become a reseller affiliate for larger sites that already have the books loaded on their server, or to set up your site so that the e-books are purchased and downloaded from your own Web site ONLINE MARKETING TECHNIQUES To market e-books online, you should consider the target audience and your niche We suggest the following: • Spend time researching where the niche of e-book buyers are surfing and work to become linked or advertised on the top sites you find in this research • Consider organic search engine optimization and participating in search engine pay per click campaigns • Establishing a viral marketing campaign like “Tell a Friend about This Book” might be very effective • Developing a targeted banner advertising campaign where readers of specific titles are visiting could generate significant traffic • Develop a mail list where visitors could opt in to receive notification as new titles are available This could also be made available through an RSS feed • Get linked from online e-book directories • Links should be established from book-related cybermalls and e-bookrelated Web rings For a more detailed description of these techniques, along with many other effective online marketing methods, I recommend the companion book 101 Ways to Promote Your Web Site You can also find tons of free resources at http://www.susansweeney.com/resources.html ADDITIONAL INCOME Additional income could come from advertising if the traffic reaches a sustained and healthy level You may provide a service for new authors who want to publish in e-book format only, and this would give the content of your site an Part betas.pmd 96 11/21/2006, 12:10 PM 101 Profiles of Top Internet Business Concepts 97 original edge, because people cannot obtain it anywhere else You could provide an e-book development service for others ONLINE EXAMPLES eBooks http://www.ebooks.com A site that holds assorted novels for download Adobe http://www.adobe.com/epager/ebooks/main.htm Adobe’s site deals with e-books being released in PDF format There are links to many sites 32 Educational Products OVERVIEW OF BUSINESS MODEL The sale and promotion of educational products online is a popular and growing business Already there are online schools and courses that are accessible at any time from anywhere in the world Downloadable educational software holds major possibilities in the future of learning Niche-marketing opportunities can be exploited by choosing a particular set of subjects or age groups to cater to Becoming the benchmark for a particular field of study would be wise considering that there are and will continue to be many Web sites offering educational materials via download SKILLS NEEDED It is a good idea to have a background in the education market and some awareness of product availability in this market You should have basic Web publishing skills and proper writing capabilities COST TO START THIS BUSINESS The cost to start the ball rolling with your educational products online business consists of developing the Web site Depending on how extensive the site is, and assuming that you will want to sell the products online, the estimated cost to start up is $3,000 to $7,000 NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES NEEDED TO START During the onset of this online business, one experienced individual should be capable of running things Part betas.pmd 97 11/21/2006, 12:10 PM 98 101 Internet Businesses You Can Start From Home INTERNATIONAL POTENTIAL If the products are suitable for all languages, the global potential is huge The subject areas of the educational products you provide will determine how international the market is E-BUSINESS MODEL/PAYMENT PROCESSING METHOD We recommend e-business level for this online business Refer to Part for more information IMPORTANT BUSINESS ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED The first thing to when setting up this business is establish a product base and define relationships with suppliers of these products One must make sure that the wares that are provided are respected educational tools and materials within the subjects you concentrate on The prices have to be competitive, and the content on your site should be geared to attract the buyer of the products, not necessarily the end user ONLINE MARKETING TECHNIQUES Your site should be simple and user-friendly, not to mention easily found on the Internet’s search engines and on education-related Web sites We recommend the following techniques for marketing your business online: Part betas.pmd • Organic search engine optimization as well as developing a sponsored listings campaign to bid on appropriate keyword phrases with the popular search engines • Developing a comprehensive links strategy Links should be established with affiliated learning sites and suppliers of educational products • Real reviews and testimonials from users of the products available for sale on your site should be published on the site as well as in appropriate e-zines and newsletters • Viral marketing strategies like Tell a Friend should be employed • Permission marketing techniques should be employed Ask visitors if they would like to be notified via e-mail when you add new educational products to your product offering The updates could also be provided by RSS feed • You could have regular contests where the prize is one of your educational products or, alternatively, you could find other contest sites and 98 11/21/2006, 12:10 PM 101 Profiles of Top Internet Business Concepts 99 offer one of your educational products as a prize with exposure for your site and a link to it For a more detailed description of these techniques, along with many other effective online marketing methods, I recommend the companion book 101 Ways to Promote Your Web Site You can also find tons of free resources at http://www.susansweeney.com/resources.html ADDITIONAL INCOME Educational products and downloads are among the most widely distributed items on the Internet As the market expands, quality will decrease There is value in a rating system or guide that helps users make the right choice Turning a portion of your site into a product review message board would be a wise idea The traffic generated from this could lead to advertising opportunities ONLINE EXAMPLES NASA http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/NASA.Educational.Products/ index.html The NASA Web site is a good example of how to market educational products Teachernet http://www.teachernet.com This is an excellent Web site that deals with many educational products but also includes ideas for teachers and a discussion area for exchanging ideas and such American Educational Products http://www.amep.com This is a single corporation selling its products online This is basically an Internet advertisement for its products 33 Electronics Store OVERVIEW OF BUSINESS MODEL What better place to sell technological gadgets! The following are necessary to ensure success in this type of business: a reliable and robust supplier with a shipping system in place, and an up-to-date e-store with detailed descriptions, images, and reviews of products This site would sell electronics directly to Part betas.pmd 99 11/21/2006, 12:10 PM 100 101 Internet Businesses You Can Start From Home customers with payment processing happening online (There’s too much competition already to start at a lower level of operation.) SKILLS NEEDED The operator of this business should have experience dealing within the electronics industry and a proper gauge on value and product shelf life He or she should have a firm grasp of Web publishing, writing promotional copy for products, and operating an online store COST TO START THIS BUSINESS The budget to begin this endeavor is in the area of $3,000 to $10,000 Your initial setup costs include a personal computer and the appropriate software You will also need to pay for the design, development, and hosting of your Web site, your storefront solution, and your merchant account setup All additional costs are associated with promoting your business online and offline NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES NEEDED Depending on how many products you are selling and where the inventory is stored, you might need two dedicated individuals to operate the business efficiently INTERNATIONAL POTENTIAL The global reach of selling electronics online is almost guaranteed Electronic devices are not restricted by regional or cultural boundaries such as language or lack of power sources If the descriptions in the online store are available in several of the world’s languages and the payment area has a tool to convert currency, there should be fantastic international opportunity E-BUSINESS MODEL/PAYMENT PROCESSING METHOD The e-business model suggested for this type of operation is level 3, which includes an e-store and payment processing online Refer to Part for more information IMPORTANT BUSINESS ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED Selling electronics requires a high-tech, user-friendly site The information on the site must be absolutely current, and you have to watch inventory as mass orders could come in at any time The content and policy should encourage repeat business and provide support with upgrades and troubleshooting The customer service department of your business should be highly responsive and be in touch with the shipping segment of the business Part betas.pmd 100 11/21/2006, 12:10 PM 101 Profiles of Top Internet Business Concepts 101 ONLINE MARKETING TECHNIQUES Your major target market will be high-tech gadget-prone online buyers, so you want to conduct a thorough market research project to determine where they are surfing Once you have found these sites, establish relationships with them and exchange links Here are some basic tips to get you started: Part betas.pmd • Developing a comprehensive affiliate/associate program would not only send referral business to your electronics store, it would also increase the overall awareness of your site • Launching a strategic banner advertising campaign on Web sites frequented by your target market will send high volumes of traffic to your Web site Your banner ads could contain coupons for specific products • You should enable visitors to tell friends about specific products directly from your site via e-mail This viral marketing technique is a great way to increase traffic to your Web site • A comprehensive link strategy should be developed and implemented Links should be developed from electronics cybermalls, meta-indexes, and electronics-related sites • You should develop a mail list where you will provide news on new products, product reviews, and specials to those site visitors who choose to opt in to the mail list • You could consider developing a loyalty program for frequent shoppers • Real reviews and testimonials from users of the products available for sale on your site should be published on the site as well as in appropriate e-zines and newsletters • Develop a sponsored listings campaign to bid on appropriate keyword phrases with the popular search engines • You could have regular contests where the prize is one of your electronics products or, alternatively, you can find other contest sites and offer one of your electronics products as a prize with exposure for your site and a link to it 101 11/21/2006, 12:10 PM 102 101 Internet Businesses You Can Start From Home For a more detailed description of these techniques, along with many other effective online marketing methods, I recommend the companion book 101 Ways to Promote Your Web Site You can also find tons of free resources at http://www.susansweeney.com/resources.html ADDITIONAL INCOME There is an opportunity to generate revenue through sales of banner advertising space and sponsorship of your mail list Ads may be permitted in your mail list for a nominal fee ONLINE EXAMPLES VoltexPC.com http://www.voltexcomputers.com This site offers an attractive presentation of hot items up for sale, is easy to navigate, and can easily be found in the search engines Cambridge Sound Works http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/store/category.cgi?category=0 This site is easily navigated, has a professional design, and offers a wide variety of products for sale plus articles on how to burn CDs and other technical tips for the benefit of users TigerDirect.com http://www.tigerdirect.com Specializing in PC and hardware sales, this company is known for its highquality customer service and fast delivery 34 E-Mail Reminder Service OVERVIEW OF BUSINESS MODEL As a provider of e-mail reminders, the basic service you would provide is creating a Web site with a software-driven automated e-mail reminder application The operator of this business will have to design comprehensive input forms not only to gather the important dates and occasions from all the clients and enough other information to be able to send them the reminder, but also to make appropriate gift suggestions Part betas.pmd 102 11/21/2006, 12:10 PM ... your site You can outsource this activity to an advertising agency or ad network, or you can develop your advertising 109 11/21/2006, 12:10 PM 110 101 Internet Businesses You Can Start From Home. .. level 1, but if you should decide to accept payment and allow download Part betas.pmd 95 11/21/2006, 12:10 PM 96 101 Internet Businesses You Can Start From Home of the e-books from your site, level... sponsorship, and the expansion of your services If you decide to focus Part betas.pmd 107 11/21/2006, 12:10 PM 108 101 Internet Businesses You Can Start From Home on one field of work, training